The Truth About Marijuana

Here is some information that is factual and true regarding marijuana:

The active compound in marijuana is, 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which exerts its central effect through the CB1cannabinoidreceptor. Brain regions with such receptors include hippocampus (new memory/learning), amygdala (alarm, alertness), cerebral cortex (thinking, reasoning, planning, long term learning). Acute effects of marijuana smoking include alteration is motor control, short term memory impairments, intoxication, loss of motivation and drive, decreased anxiety, increased appetite and some reduction in pain, particularly if neurological in nature.

There is a dose dependent risk. The more you smoke and the longer you smoke the greater the damage and greater the risk of mental illness.

Marijuana smoking is addictive and marijuana dependence is a diagnosable disorder according to the DSM-IV –TR, the manual of the American Psychiatric Association.

Marijuana decreases male fertility by affecting zinc channels which alter sperm motility. The more a male smokes the less motile are his sperm. Cell, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2009.12.053

Marijuana potency varies widely depending on the plants used in a particular sampling. Potency levels can be multiple times higher today than in the 1960s, and worse, recent studies reveal that the only way to increase the concentrations of THC, the active component of marijuana, is by reducing another component that demonstrates neuroprotective effects. This means that not only is marijuana getting more potent but more toxic at the same time.

Finally, marijuana is more toxic than cigarette smoking. This is due to several factors. Cannabis smokers inhale 1/3 more deeply than cigarette smokers and hold their breath four times longer to ensure maximum lung exposure. Secondly, marijuana has higher concentrations of toxic chemicals than cigarette smoke. Dr. David Moir of Health Canada compared the chemicals in cigarette smoke to marijuana smoke and found that marijuana smoke had 20 times as much ammonia, five times as much hydrogen cyanide, and five times as much nitrogen oxides, which negatively affect circulation and the immune system. (Chemical Research in Toxicology, DOI: 10.1021/tx700275p).

The bottom line is: marijuana impairs brain function and increases risk of disease and therefore is not acceptable for those who wish to be healthy, achieve something with their lives and fulfill all God has called them to fulfill. Are there medicinal uses for marijuana? For those who are terminal, in severe intractable pain and/or nausea with no other possible way to experience relief, yes, in mercy marijuana may be used. But this is not an endorsement of general recreational use any more than surgery to save someone with appendicitis means healthy people should have surgery. In this world of sin we do the best we can to relieve suffering and restore health with the means best available to us longing for the day when such interventions will never be needed again.

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